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Sports

Iron Mountain Offers a 360-Degree View of Coastline and Backcountry

Hikers will see why this mountain got its name.

At the entrance to the backcountry of San Diego county is Iron Mountain, one of the grand plutons that forms the entrance to our Valley of the Sun, Ramona. It's at the intersection of state Route 67 and Poway Road, east of Poway, and is one of several peaks forming the Coastal Range. This has always been a popular local hike.

While we used to have to park roadside, there is now a large parking area at the intersection, thanks to the city of Poway. There is another parking area just north on state 67 at Ellie Lane. Trails connect these two spots and there's a looping trail over the crest of the peaks.

The Ellie Lane trail is open to hiking, but is considered an equestrian staging area. This is nice as most people do not use this lot. It’s a great place to get away from it all for a few hours. The trail goes east and rises through the boulder field south of Rock Haven up to the peak saddle area to connect with the south trail. The trail is a bit steep in places but not overly strenuous. Along the top saddle, there is a side branch for the Ramona Overlook. If you are adventurous, you can climb the Mideast Peak to get to the cliff overlook for a view. It is a boulder hop in some areas to get through brush, but it’s a view worth the effort. The Middle Peak is also easily accessible from the saddle.

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The main south trail from the Poway Road-state Route  67 intersection crosses the field and an arroyo. As you cross the arroyo, you'll see a peak to the left, or north, which is made of diorite, a mineral high in iron. A small mining operation on this Middle Peak in the past gave the signature peak to the south its name. After the arroyo, the trail rises up through a valley to the saddle of the mountain ridge.

The trail splits here to either the north trail that intersects with the Ellie Lane trail or the south Iron Mountain peak trail. Turning left, you can continue to hike south to start the assent to the top. There are numerous switchbacks in the trail to ease the rate of climb. This is a moderate trail, but a good workout to the top. The peak affords a spectacular 360-degree view of the entire San Diego county coastline and the mountain ridges to the east, south and north. You can see all of east Ramona, Barona and Rosemont. On the hike back to the parking lot, you feel the sense of accomplishment of having done a great hike.

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If you feel like taking the longer hike back, cut to the right at the crossing at the saddle and take the north trail to the Ramona Overlook and on down to Ellie Lane and back over the fields and flats to the main parking lot. This adds 3.3 miles to the hike to get to Ellie Lane and about one more mile to get back to the state Route 67/Poway Road parking lot.

If you go:
Directions:
9-10 miles from downtown Ramona, south on state Route 67.

Difficulty level:  moderate to hard. The trail can be hot in summer, so plan morning hikes then.

Parking: There is public parking at the park entrance along state Route 67 at Poway Road and another area at Ellie Lane. Park at your own risk. Be sure to hide anything of value and lock up tight. There have many vehicle thefts here.

Facilities: Portable toilets are at the trailhead. Dogs are allowed on leash.

GPS: Latitude: 32.97083   Longitude:116.95585

Iron Mountain Peak: 2,696 feet elevation; the parking lot is at 1,611 feet; the delta is at 1,535 feet

Stats: 2.9 miles to peak (5.8 miles roundtrip),

               3.3 miles Ellie Lane to Saddleback crossing,

               0.5 miles from Saddleback crossing to Ramona Overlook.      

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